The present invention relates generally to a retail checkout terminal, and more particularly to a self-service checkout terminal having a biometric sensing device for verifying identity of a user and associated method.
In the retail industry, the largest expenditures are typically the cost of the goods sold followed closely by the cost of labor expended. With particular regard to the retail grocery or supermarket industry, the impetus to reduce labor costs has focused on reducing or eliminating the amount of time required to handle and/or process the items or goods to be purchased by a customer. To this end, there have been a number of self-service checkout terminal concepts developed which attempt to substantially eliminate the need for a checkout clerk.
A self-service checkout terminal is a system which is operated by a customer without the aid of a checkout clerk. In such a system, the customer scans individual items for purchase across a scanner and then places the scanned items into a grocery bag, if desired. The customer then pays for his or her purchases either at the self-service checkout terminal if so equipped, or at a central payment area which is staffed by a store employee. Thus, a self-service checkout terminal permits a customer to select, itemize, and in some cases pay for his or her purchases without the assistance of the retailer""s personnel.
However, during operation of the self-service checkout terminal, the customer may enter an item which requires verification of certain characteristics of the customer. In particular, the customer""s items for purchase may include restricted items which by law or otherwise require verification of certain characteristics of the customer. For example, if the customer""s items for purchase include restricted items such as tobacco products, alcoholic beverages, or certain solvents, the customer""s age may have to be verified prior to the sale thereof.
Typically, the verification of such characteristics (i.e. age) requires intervention into the customer""s transaction by a store employee such as a customer service manager. In particular, when the customer enters a restricted item into the self-service checkout terminal, the customer service manager is notified via either a flashing light or an audible sound that intervention is needed prior to completion of the customer""s transaction. Hence, prior to completing the customer""s transaction, the customer service manager must approach the customer and verify the customer""s age by, for example, checking the customer""s driver""s license or other form of identification.
Such intervention has a number of drawbacks associated therewith. For example, the retailer must always have an employee (e.g. the customer service manager) present during operation of the self-service checkout terminal in order to verify the age of a customer upon entry of a restricted item. Such a requirement increases labor costs associated with the retailer""s operation. Moreover, the requirement of such intervention may be inconvenient to the retailer""s customers. In particular, if a customer has completed entering his or her items for purchase, tendered payment therefor, and is ready to exit the store, the customer may be undesirably inconvenienced if the customer must wait for the customer service manager to approach the self-service checkout terminal in order to verify his or her age prior to exiting the store. Moreover, such a requirement reduces the throughput associated with the self-service checkout terminal. In particular, if the customer is otherwise finished with operation of the self-service checkout terminal, but must wait for the customer service manager to approach the self-service checkout terminal, the customer is undesirably forced to remain at the terminal thereby reducing the number of customers which may checkout their items for purchase via use of the terminal over a given period of time (i.e. reduces throughput though the self-service terminal).
What is needed therefore is a self-service checkout terminal which overcomes one or more of the above-mentioned drawbacks. What is particularly needed is a self-service checkout terminal which reduces the number of occasions in which an employee of the retailer must intervene in the customer""s transaction relative to self-service checkout terminals which have heretofore been designed. What is also needed is a self-service checkout terminal which allows a customer to enter a restricted item into the terminal without requiring intervention by store personnel.
In accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a method of operating a self-service checkout terminal. The method includes the step of determining a user reported identity code associated with a user of the checkout terminal and retrieving a user biometric profile which corresponds to the user reported identity code in response thereto. The method also includes the step of detecting if the user enters a restricted item into the checkout terminal and generating a restricted-item control signal in response thereto. The method further includes the step of detecting a biometric characteristic of the user in response to generation of the restricted-item control signal. The method moreover includes the step of comparing the user biometric profile with the biometric characteristic and generating an identity-verified control signal if the user biometric profile matches the biometric characteristic.
In accordance with a second embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a self-service checkout terminal. The self-service checkout terminal includes an input device for receiving a user reported identity code associated with a user of the checkout terminal and a biometric sensing device for detecting a biometric characteristic of the user. The self-service checkout terminal also includes a processing unit electrically coupled to both the input device and the biometric sensing device. Moreover, the self-service checkout terminal includes a memory device electrically coupled to the processing unit. The memory device has stored therein a plurality of instructions which, when executed by the processing unit, causes the processing unit to (i) retrieve a user biometric profile which corresponds to the user reported identity code, (ii) detect if the user enters a restricted item into the checkout terminal and generate a restricted-item control signal in response thereto, and (iii) compare the user biometric profile with the biometric characteristic and generate an identity-verified control signal if the user biometric profile matches the biometric characteristic.
In accordance with a third embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a self-service checkout terminal. The self-service checkout terminal includes a scanner for reading bar codes associated with a user""s items for purchase and a product scale for weighing a number of the user""s items for purchase. The self-service checkout terminal also includes an input device for receiving a user reported identity code associated with the user and a biometric sensing device for detecting a biometric characteristic of the user. The self-service checkout terminal further includes a processing unit electrically coupled to each of the scanner, the product scale, the input device, and the biometric sensing device. Moreover, the processing unit includes a memory device electrically coupled to the processing unit. The memory device has stored therein a plurality of instructions which, when executed by the processing unit, causes the processing unit to (i) retrieve a user biometric profile which corresponds to the user reported identity code, and (iii) compare the user biometric profile with the biometric characteristic and generate an identity-verified control signal if the user biometric profile matches the biometric characteristic.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a new and useful self-service checkout terminal.
It is moreover an object of the present invention to provide an improved self-service checkout terminal.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a new and useful method of operating a self-service checkout terminal.
It is also an object of the present invention to provide an improved method of operating a self-service checkout terminal.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a self-service checkout terminal which reduces the number of occasions in which an employee of the retailer must intervene in the customer""s transaction relative to self-service checkout terminals which have heretofore been designed.
It is also an object of the present invention to provide a self-service checkout terminal which allows a customer to enter a restricted item into the terminal without requiring intervention by store personnel.